Written and directed by Andrea Arnold, Bird is the story of a 12-year-old who is dealing with growing pains as she lives in near-poverty with her younger brother and single father as she tries to find herself in North Kent with the help of a man trying to find his family. The film is a coming-of-age film in which a young woman deals with her surroundings as well as wanting attention from her father who spends time hanging out with other people including his girlfriend than with his own children. Starring Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski, Jason Buda, Jasmine Jobson, Frankie Box, and James Nelson-Joyce. Bird is a majestic and gripping film by Andrea Arnold.
The film is about a 12-year-old girl who is dealing with puberty and her young father’s upcoming marriage to a girlfriend as she meets a mysterious man who is trying to find his family. It is a film that explores a young woman coming of age as she lives in North Kent in near-poverty though her father has found a toad that can produce slime that would unleash psychedelics. Still, this young girl in Bailey (Nykiya Adams) can do things for herself in her town while is also becoming aware that she is growing up. Andrea Arnold’s screenplay is straightforward in its narrative, yet it is more about this young woman who would meet this strange man named Bird (Franz Rogowski) who has arrived at North Kent by foot with a backpack and wearing a dress where he is trying to find his family. The script would play into Bailey dealing with her father Bug (Barry Keoghan) getting married to a woman whom he had begun a relationship with a few months ago as she has a daughter of her own. Even as she is going through her own growing pains as well as visiting her mother Peyton (Jasmine Jobson) and her young half-siblings who live in a home with her abusive boyfriend Skate (James Nelson-Joyce).
Arnold’s direction is entrancing in her approach to realism in the locations she shoots as well as flirting with elements of magical realism that plays a key role in the film’s third act. Shot on various locations in the Kent area including Gravesend, Dartford, Ashford, and Bean, Arnold’s direction does emphasize wide and medium shots to get a scope of the locations of where the characters are in. Notably in scenes with fields, canals, and areas involving nature as it plays into this sense of intrigue that Bailey encounters. Arnold also uses close-ups including extreme close-ups to play into Bailey’s own emotions in her reactions to situations and the people around her. Arnold would also use some unique tracking and long shots for scenes in which Bailey or Bug are riding a motorized scooter somewhere in North Kent. The direction also has Arnold keep things realistic where the locations are key to the story whether it is a building that is decayed or the suburbs where everything in the latter feels structured and clean.
Arnold’s flirtation with magical realism does not come into play until its third act when Bailey visits her half-siblings with Bug as she asks her older half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda) to find Skate and attack him since Hunter is part of a vigilante gang. It is where Bailey and Bird, along with Bailey’s young half-siblings, take go to the beach while they would meet a man (Jason Williamson) whom Bird believes is his father. It is a key moment where in a conventional film, there would be intense melodrama, but Arnold would restrain things as it play into two men who might be connected as they would talk and rationalize things. Arnold’s approach to magical realism would come to the film’s climax as well as the ending as it plays into Bailey’s own realization about herself and the new family she is going to be in with her father, Hunter, Bug’s girlfriend, and her daughter. The film’s ending is another brush with magical realism as it does play into this young woman coming of age as well as meeting this man who is trying to find himself. Overall, Arnold crafts an evocative and touching film where a young girl meets a mysterious man where they both go on a journey of self-discovery in North Kent.
Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its naturalistic look for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the usage of smartphones for scenes that Bailey uses to capture nature and things around her. Editor Joe Bini does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few jump-cuts to play into the energy in some of the tracking shots. Production designer Maxine Carlier, along with set decorator Jo Berglund plus art directors Lili Lea Abraham and Kate Stamp, does brilliant work with the look of the decayed apartment home that Bailey lives with Bug and Hunter as well as the home that Peyton lives in. Costume designer Alex Bovaird does nice work with the costumes as it is casual with some style in what Bug wears that include track suits and baseball caps that plays into his love for hip-hop.
Hair/makeup supervisor Giada Venturini and prosthetics designer Suzi Battersby does amazing work with the look of some prosthetics that would be a key factor in the film’s third act. Visual effects supervisor Robin Aristorenas does terrific work with the visual effects as it also plays into elements of the film’s third function as it relates to the idea of magical realism. The sound work of Nicolas Becker is superb in the way sound is captured on location as well as the way certain things sound from afar and up-close. The film’s music by Burial is wonderful for its low-key yet throbbing electronic score with elements of ambient pieces that play into the drama. Music supervisor Simon Astall provides a fun mixture of music ranging from hip-hop, indie, and Brit-pop in acts like Fontaines D.C., the Verve, Blur, Sleaford Mods, Rednex, and Coldplay.
The film’s casting by Lucy Pardee is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Jason Williamson as a man who might know Bird, Joanne Matthews as that man’s girlfriend, Andrew Richard Bryant and Kirsty J. Curtis as the parents of Hunter’s girlfriend Moon, Frankie Box as Bug’s fiancée Kayleigh whom Bailey is not fond of at first until she comes to her about her first period, Jasmine Jobson as Bailey’s mother Peyton who is in abusive and tumultuous relationship with her current boyfriend, James Nelson-Joyce as Peyton’s abusive boyfriend Skate who hates Bailey and treats Peyton’s kids terribly, and Jason Buda in a superb performance as Bailey’s older half-brother Hunter who is part of a vigilante gang as he has become estranged from his girlfriend because of her parents. Barry Keoghan is brilliant as Bailey and Hunter’s young father Bug as a man who found a toad that he believe would make him money as he has also decided to get married as Keoghan brings a sensitivity to a man that does not mean to be neglectful. Still, he does care about his children as he does prove that he is willing to show his love towards them despite his own faults.
Franz Rogowski is phenomenal as the titular character as a mysterious man who has backpacked through England as he is in search of his family where he seeks Bailey’s help while he also helps her with her own family issues. Even though there is an odd approach that Rogowski presents the character as he is first seen wearing a dress as he is also full of energy and warmth. Finally, there’s Nykiya Adams in a tremendous performance as Bailey, a 12-year-old girl who is fascinated by nature and her surroundings as she deals with growing pains as well as her own identity with her father becoming distracted with his upcoming wedding. Adams also displays a maturity as a young woman who is also concerned for her younger siblings as well as slowly accepting the way things are as it is a revelatory performance from the newcomer.
Bird is a sensational film by Andrea Arnold that features great performances from Franz Rogowski and Barry Keoghan as well as a major discovery in Nikiya Adams. Along with its ensemble cast, intoxicating visuals, a compelling story of identity and growing up, and a somber music soundtrack from Burial. It is a film that does not play into the conventions of a coming-of-age film in favor of studying a girl’s own journey with a mysterious man as it plays into the two finding themselves. In the end, Bird is a spectacular film by Andrea Arnold.
Summer is coming to an end, and this has been a dark summer considering all the chaos that is happening here in America. People who work at the CDC and FEMA are being laid off while our human septic tank of a dictator continues to make things worse for everyone. Another mass shooting in Minnesota happened at a Catholic school where two kids are killed as Republican lawmakers continue to make excuses. This year fucking sucks although there was a brawl at Mexican senate meeting between two senators that was fun to watch over America’s involvement with Mexico’s war with drug cartels in their country. I am going to side with whoever does not want America to get involved with Mexico’s own affairs. Honestly, why do we often have to interfere with the interests of other countries?
My mother is already dealing with relatives getting deported as the news over what happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia as he had just returned to the U.S. but is now in a dilemma to either plead guilty over a smuggling charge that he was not involved in or to be deported to Uganda. This is another example of why the idea of the American Dream does not exist. It did a long time ago but that is now nothing more than a nightmare. What is the point now of even coming to a country where no matter how hard you work? You are going to go back to where you come from or to be sent to a place that you have never been to before. These are dark times we are living in, and it is a damn shame for anyone to be proud to be an American because of bullshit like this.
I get my news through whatever I see on my phone, a widget on my laptop, or on Reddit and to know what to avoid as I do not watch anything that is on YouTube or on TV as it can be overwhelming. I am fortunate to find things to watch to escape from all that negative shit such as pro wrestling where AEW has regained momentum considering that 2024 was a bad year for them even though they must contend with WWE who continuously made new deals with ESPN and will counterprogram whatever AEW does. Yet, there was something that happened at an independent wrestling show in California where as a longtime fan of pro wrestling. I have never been more disgusted or sickened by as it relates to this incident on August 24.
Raja Jackson, the son of legendary MMA fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made an appearance at KnokX Pro Wrestling event where he would be involved in a match with Stuart Smith aka Syko Stu. An incident that was meant to be a work only escalated into something realistic in which Jackson beat up Stu during the match only for Jackson to assault Smith to the point of near-unconsciousness. What Jackson did was he nearly killed this man as wrestlers and others had to pull him out while Smith was unconscious with many thought he had died. Fortunately, as of August 30, 2025, as I am writing this. Smith is alert though his recovery will take a while as he apologized for smashing a beer can on Jackson’s head before the match as it was part of the angle. Jackson on the other hand should go to prison for nearly killing a man while those who goaded Jackson into assaulting Smith should go to prison. The promotion has lost its WWE ID designation while many talents at the promotion have left over the incident. Smith has received donations from several wrestlers, including Chris Jericho, on the medical bills that he is going to have to pay. Still, this is an incident that has left a blemish in the industry as Jackson should be banned from not just all pro wrestling promotions but also from MMA organizations.
In the month of August 2025, I saw a total of 17 films in 17 first-timers with 3 of the first-timers being films directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. A lot of short films by a few filmmakers with the highlight of the month being my Blind Spot film pick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for August 2025:
The first of three short films by Michelangelo Antonioni that I found on YouTube as this 1983 7-minute short film Antonioni made has him returning to the island where he filmed a key sequence from his 1960 film L’Avventura. The short has Antonioni and his crew filming the island while audio from the film is present as if it plays as a ghost where the events in that film still loom. It is a short film that fans of Antonioni should seek out as it highlights the influence of his international breakthrough film on this remote island.
Seven Reeds One Dress
The second short film from Michelangelo Antonioni is a 10-minute documentary short film that explores post-war Italy and how this economic recovery would change things for a northern town in Italy. The short film is this mixture of Italian neorealism and the sense of alienation that Antonioni would explore in his feature films. Especially as it shows reeds from marshlands that get cut down meticulously to become materials for highly-expensive dresses in the world of high fashion. It is an excellent short that fans of Antonioni should also watch.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
As a child of the 80s, I grew up on the music of Billy Joel. My parents had his greatest hits collection on CD when CDs were new. I knew a lot of the songs and knew about Joel’s story. This two-part documentary film covers Joel’s life and career as he remains this humble guy from Long Island who likes to go boating and smoke an electronic cigar. The two-part approach is great as the first part is about Joel’s life and career, including his marriage to his first wife Elizabeth Weber who would be his manager during that time. When they divorced and she decided to step away from the business, she knew that when Joel hired her brother Frank it was a bad idea as even Joel’s second wife Christie Brinkley knew something about him was not right. When the wives are telling you something is wrong, you listen. The film also goes into why Joel stopped making pop music in the early 90s as well as his complicated relationship with his own father as well as him learning about his own family history that included his grandfather Karl Amson Joel who was a textile merchant/manufacturer in Germany in the early 20th century until the Nazis came in as the man, his wife, and Joel’s father left Germany with nothing. This is a great documentary film of one of the greatest American artists ever as he is still dealing with his own health issues as he remains a treasure that everyone loves. Still, I hate The Longest Time because that doo-wop shit sucks.
Superstition
The third and final short film by Michelangelo Antonioni I found on YouTube is a 9-minute short film also released in 1948. It is about the subject of superstition but in small towns in the north of Italy through people who still believe them even though the country has changed following World War II into this new idea of modernism. It is a good short film although the lack of subtitles really does hurt the film a bit despite its gorgeous visuals and music score.
From: First Hymn to the Night-Novalis
The first of eight short films by Stan Brakhage that is available on YouTube as this 3-minute collage piece inspired by the German poet Novalis as it includes lines from his poem of the same name. The short film is filled with colorful imagery that is typical of Brakhage’s work as it plays into his own interpretation of Novalis’ work.
Rage Net
A 38-second short film from Brakhage as it plays into his idea of anger through his own visual ideas.
Kindering
A 3-minute short film from Brakhage that is an atypical short film that has 2 kids playing in their backyard but there are some weird noises in the background and other weird shit as it is absolutely fucked up. It is fucking awesome.
Comingled Containers
Another 3-minute short that is more in line with what Brakhage does as it has him experimenting with various liquids for the short. What he would present is something astonishingly beautiful. Even in the usage of decayed film stock where Brakhage creates something that is among one of his best short films.
Ritual in Transfigured Time
The first of two short films by Maya Deren that is available on YouTube features score music from Feona Lee Jones as it plays into a woman being drawn by the activities of others. In its 15-minute running time, the short film is filled with elements of surrealism that add to the sense of wonderment in Deren’s visual style. Whether it is a woman making a cat’s cradle or people doing interpretative dancing to music that they do not hear. It is all about connection as it is a short film that anyone interested in film need to see.
Water for Maya
Another 3-minute short film by Stan Brakhage that was made in 2000 as it is another experimental short film featuring collages of images of paintings and such that Brakhage made. It is a short film that does not say much but did it need to say anything? Part of the fun of watching Brakhage film is in the images that he creates to express whatever he is feeling now.
Krypto Saves the Day! School Bus Scuffle
Anyone here who saw James Gunn’s film version of Superman is aware of the dog Krypto as he is given the spotlight for himself in this 5-minute animated short from DC Animation. It is about a dog who is dealing with fleas as he goes after a pigeon who takes a shit in front of his window at Superman’s apartment in Metropolis. It is a fun short film where Krypto saves the despite the fucking pigeons. Fuck these pigeons!
For Marilyn
Made in tribute to his second wife Marilyn, this 11-minute short film by Stan Brakhage is one of his best films. Playing into his style of colorful collages and dizzying imagery, it is a short that is really an expression of love towards his wife with handwritten messages appearing every now and then. This is one of Brakhage’s most essential short films and anyone new to Brakhage like I am now should see this.
Mothlight
Another 3-minute short by Brakhage made in 1963 is among another of his gems yet is a short made without a camera. Using an array of material such as blades of grass, flower petals, and moth wings on 16 mm film stock, Brakhage creates something that has a look that is ugly but there is a beauty to the ugliness that he captures.
Witch’s Cradle
The second short film by Maya Deren that is available on YouTube may be an incomplete short film that Deren made at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century Gallery in 1944. Still, the short film is among one of Deren’s finest works as it plays into her interest in the occult and artistry with strings hovering around a room like a web. The version I saw featured a score by Enric Chalaux that adds a lot of intrigue to what Deren has created in the short film as it is something fans of experimental silent short films should see.
The Dante Quartet
Stan Brakhage’s 1987 six-minute short film that he made in the span of six years while going through the dissolution of his first marriage is one of the greatest films of his career. It is Brakhage’s interpretation of Dante’s Inferno in four-parts as it plays into imagery that can be described as hellish. It is in Brakhage’s unique visual style while there is also something about that is entrancing in every image that is presented in this film.
King of the Hill (season 14)
As someone who watched a lot of animation in the 1990s on FOX like The Simpsons during its golden run, King of the Hill was also a show that I enjoyed watching for the first three-four seasons. As I grew into my 20s in the 2000s, I stopped watching mainly as I had other things I was interested in as I never saw its original season finale and the seasons that followed before the finale. The news of its revival is a surprise though it is bittersweet that two voices of the show in Johnny Hardwick and Jonathan Joss died before the new season’s premiere though there are episodes dedicated to their memory. The new season of this series can be described as an old friend returning to the world and reminding us of the finer things in life.
Honestly, this season is phenomenal as I am happy to see Hank and Peggy Hill returning to Arlen, Texas as they spent eight years in Saudi Arabia where Hank got a job as a consultant for propane and propane accessories. Yes, the times have changed around them, but values and community has not changed as this season is a reminder of how the world can be with decency, kindness, and common sense. The show also shows their son Bobby grown up as a chef at a Japanese/German/American robata chain fusion restaurant as he is going through things as a young adult while reuniting with childhood friend Connie who is going through her own growing pains as a young adult. The old characters are back along with a few new characters as this season has been an absolute joy to watch as I am happy that a new season is coming. I know it is very unlikely that Luanne and Lucky Kleinschmidt will appear since their respective voice actors in Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty have passed away. Still, I would like to have a mention of them though there is a picture of the two in the background in one episode.
Wednesday (season 2, episodes 1-4)
The new season of the series is just as fun with Jenna Ortega delivering once again in the titular role while I am happy to see expanded coverage for the rest of the Addams family with Catherine Zeta-Jones being a total delight as Morticia and Luis Guzman as Gomez. The new season is about Wednesday dealing with new fame as she had saved Nevermore Academy which is under a new rule in the new headmaster in Barry Dort who is played by Steve Buscemi. The season also plays into Wednesday’s own issues with her powers as she had a vision where her roommate Enid could be killed as she is trying to save her. The show is still entertaining and exciting as I am eager to see what will happen in the new episodes coming in a few days.
Dark Side of the Ring (season 6, episode 5 & 9)
One of the drawbacks of not having cable is not having access to certain channels to watch certain shows. Fortunately, VICE did post a couple of episodes of the series on YouTube in their documentary series about the dark aspects of pro wrestling. The first of which is on “Superstar” Billy Graham who was a big star in the 1970s as he had a look and a style of talking that proved to be influential. Even as he would win the WWWF title from Bruno Sammartino in 1977 as he would hold it for a year until he is forced to drop the title to Bob Backlund. Graham’s time at the top was brief with an aftermath that proved to be troubling as he never achieved the same level of fame, he had that others like Jesse “the Body” Ventura and Cunt Hogan would have.
The other episode I watched that I posted is on Daffney who was one of the few gems during the final days of WCW as she had a Goth look that was unique and was beloved by fans. Yet, the episode focused on her mental health issues including bipolar as she would go to TNA in mid-late 2000s until an injury would hurt her career and her suicide in September of 2021. That episode is the saddest of them all though there is a good ending in how much she gave back to the fans including giving a young woman with disabilities her only wrestling match and put her over as it shows the kind of person Daffney is and why she continues to be missed.
Well, that is all for August 2025. Next month, I hope to watch One Battle After Another from Paul Thomas Anderson while Darren Aronofsky’s new film Caught Stealing is a maybe if I have time and money. The next Blind Spot film will be Jean Eustache’s The Mother and the Whore while my Auteurs piece on Robert Eggers will arrive in September as I am 2/3s finished with the essay. Other than that, I am not sure what else I will review though it is likely I will be watching more short films from Stan Brakhage, Maya Deren, and Michelangelo Antonioni.
Before I bid adieu, I want to express my condolences on those who passed away this month in film producer Frank Price, actress Veronica Echegui, Floyd Levine, Jerry Adler, comic book artist Dave Taylor, Danish film producer Per Holst, Michael Antunes of John Cafferty & the Brown Beaver Band/Eddie & the Cruisers, cinematographer Eduardo Serra, Tristan Rogers, Danielle Spencer of What’s Happening, David Ketchum, Bobby Whitlock of Derek & the Dominos, astronaut Jim Lovell, singer Terry Reid, Loni Anderson, filmmaker Jonathan Kaplan, and from one of the best bands from Atlanta in Mastodon in vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds. We will miss you all. This is thevoid99 signing off…
Based on the play by Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is the story of a college professor and his wife who invite a couple new to the university to their home during a late night of drinking and terror. Directed by Mike Nichols and screenplay by Ernest Lehman, the film is an exploration of a late night where two couples drink as everything unravels during the night where secrets and revelations are unveiled. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, and Sandy Dennis. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an unsettling and intoxicating film by Mike Nichols.
Set in the span of one late night at a university residence, the film revolves around an associate college professor and his wife as they invite a young couple new to the university for a chat and some drinks where everything goes to hell. It is a film that is about one late night where much of the action takes place at this couple’s home at the university as they invite a new professor and his wife for a drink that ends up being a night of chaos. Ernest Lehman’s screenplay is straightforward in its term of the narrative as its first and third act take place at the home of Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) and her associate professor husband George (Richard Burton) with a bit of the film’s second act taking place outside of the house and at a roadhouse. Part of the film’s strength is the dialogue and monologue spoken by the characters with George often pushing people’s buttons while telling stories to observe his guests in Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis).
Nick is the new biology professor despite Martha’s claim he is teaching math as he is fascinated by George’s time in the university as well as what to expect though Honey is a woman who is fragile as she will get sick if she drinks. As the night goes on, things start to unravel when Martha talks about her son whose birthday is the next day when George is upset over the mention of him. At a brief stop at a roadhouse, more drinks happen with Honey wanting to dance and have fun yet things between Martha and Nick would anger George as he decides to push everyone’s buttons where he ends up walking home. Yet, revelations about Nick and Honey are unveiled during the night including a conversation between George and Nick outside of the house and another one between George and Honey in the third act.
Mike Nichols’ direction is rapturous in its setting as it is shot on location at the Warner Brothers soundstage for all the interior scenes with all the exterior scenes are shot at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. While there are wide shots for some of the exterior scenes including the opening shot of the film where George and Martha walk out of a party on their way home. Much of Nichols’ direction is emphasized on close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimacy of the house that George and Martha live in as well as scenes at the roadhouse during the film’s second act. Notably in how Nichols creates compositions in the way characters are seen in the foreground and in the background during a shot. Nichols’ direction also maintains this air of theatricality where he utilizes long shots for monologues and dialogues to be spoken for minutes uncut as well as scenes where the camera would move from one room to another to follow a character. It adds to this sense of tension as well as moments of dark humor such as a scene where George carries a rifle that would be served as a prank.
Nichols also maintains moments that are somber such as George and Nick’s conversation outside of the house where Nichols create some unique camera angles to play into whether the characters are equal or dominating one another in the conversation. The scenes at the roadhouse are tense for the way everyone starts to unravel with Honey wanting to dance and have fun, yet George starts to notice something is happening with Nick and Martha. The third act is where a lot of revelations about everyone comes into play with George, ready to push everyone’s buttons in revealing something including himself. Especially as Martha brought up the subject of their unnamed son as well as George’s failed novel early in the film, forcing George to get confrontational where Nichols’ direction is always fixed on what is happening. Even as he knows where to place the camera waiting for something to happen that will just blow things up. Overall, Nichols crafts a gripping and ravishing film about a drunken couple’s meeting with a young couple for a late night of drinks going wrong.
Cinematographer Haskell Wexler does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white photography with the way the home of George and Martha is lit in its living room and kitchen as well as spacious look of the roadhouse and the low-key lighting for the exterior scenes. Editor Sam O’Steen does brilliant work with the editing with a few scenes of fast-cuts during the second act where all the characters are in a car before they arrive at the roadhouse along with cuts that allow shots to linger to play into the emotional moments in the film. Production designer Richard Sylbert and set decorator George James Hopkins does excellent work with the look of the interiors of George and Martha’s home with a messy kitchen as well as a living room full of books and a bar full of drinks as well as the spacious interior of the roadhouse. Costume designer Irene Sharaff does fantastic work with the costumes in the suits the men wear to Honey’s dress and coat as well as the posh yet ragged clothes that Martha wears.
Makeup artists Gordon Bau and Ron Berkeley, along with hair stylist Sydney Guilaroff, do amazing work with the look of Martha from her big hairstyle as well as the makeup where she looks older than she is as it is a highlight of the film. The sound work of M.A. Merrick and George Groves do superb work with the sound as it plays into the atmosphere of a room as well as whatever music is played in the roadhouse. The film’s music by Alex North is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that is used sparingly to play into the dramatic tension that looms throughout the film.
The film’s ensemble cast feature a couple of notable small yet uncredited performances from Frank and Agnes Flanagan as the couple who run the roadhouse. Sandy Dennis is great as Honey as a young woman who is fragile due to her inability to deal with alcohol where she would have mood swings where she can be upbeat but also feel down as she wonders if Nick really loves her for who she is or for something else. George Segal is phenomenal as Honey’s husband Nick who is the new biology professor at the university as he is troubled by George and Martha’s behavior though he would briefly have a moment with George about his marriage to Honey realizing they are the same in some respects.
Richard Burton is tremendous as George as an associate history professor who is reluctant to invite new guests while he starts to unravel over things his wife said that would force him to push everyone else around him. Burton has this gravitas of a man who has experiences a lot yet is also carrying something that is deep inside him that he does not want to reveal. Finally, there’s Elizabeth Taylor in a spectacular performance as Martha as George’s wife whose father is the university president as she is known for drinking and oversharing information that would humiliate George. Taylor is also someone that is also hiding something as she is also someone who is willing to get what she wants no matter who she hurts as it is one of her career-defining performances.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a magnificent film by Mike Nichols that features great leading performances from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as well as impressive supporting performances from George Segal and Sandy Dennis. Along with Ernest Lehman’s confrontational screenplay, Haskell Wexler’s stunning cinematography, and its unsettling presentation. It is a film that is an engaging drama that is about an older couple meeting a young couple only for a late night of drinking just to unravel. In the end, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an outstanding film by Mike Nichols.
Mike Nichols Films: (The Graduate) – (Catch 22) – Carnal Knowledge - (The Day of the Dolphin) – (The Fortune) – (Gilda Live) – (Silkwood) – (Heartburn) – (Biloxi Blues) – Working Girl - Postcards from the Edge - (Regarding Henry) – (Wolf (1994 film)) – The Birdcage - (Primary Colors) – (What Planet Are You From?) – (Wit) – (Angels in America) – Closer (2004 film) - (Charlie Wilson’s War)
Based on the Marvel Comics series by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is about four people in the retro-futuristic 1960s who return from space with superpowers as they become superheroes as they deal with an upcoming threat who wants to destroy their planet. Directed by Matt Shakman and screenplay by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer from a story by Pearson, Kaplan, Springer, and Kat Wood. The film is about four unique people with unique superpowers who deal with this threat as well as protecting the future for two of the members of the group. Starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Sarah Niles, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson as Galactus. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is an exhilarating and engrossingly entertaining film by Matt Shakman.
Set on an alternate planet earth in a retro-futuristic version of New York City in the early 1960s, the film is about four people who had returned from outer space with superpowers as they face a threat who wants to devour their planet unless they give him something he wants. It is a film that is about a family that is about to have a new addition to the family while dealing with a threat that wants to destroy Earth unless they give him their unborn child. The film’s screenplay is set in 1964 just four years after these four people had gone to outer space and return with new powers as they have become celebrated superheroes and a beacon of hope for Earth. Even as they live in the Baxter building in the middle of New York City as well as resolving issues in and around the city. That all changes when a mysterious figure known as the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives with a warning that Earth is to be devoured by a gigantic cosmic being known as Galactus.
The first act is about this family in Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), his wife Susan Storm (Vanessa Kirby), her younger brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn), and Richards’ longtime friend Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they all have different superpowers while they also cope with this new threat in Galactus. Richards, whose power is to stretch his body as wide as it can be while he is also one of the smartest scientists in the world, is not so smart when it comes to being social while the idea of becoming a father has him worried about everything. Storm is a woman that can turn invisible and project force fields while is also someone who is good at resolving issues whether it is in the city or for the United Nations as she is also the most grounded of the four. Storm’s brother Johnny has the power to fly and can control fire as he is also someone that likes to be a heartthrob and make jokes with Richards often being the target. Grimm is a man that has a body that is like gigantic rock figure, but he has great strength and is also a man that is down-to-earth as he often visits Brooklyn and is also an accomplished cook. The four together are a family as they are also with their robotic companion named H.E.R.B.I.E. (voice of Matthew Wood) and a new arrival as Susan is pregnant which adds to the stakes of the film as it becomes an unlikely bargaining chip for Galactus.
The second act is about the group’s first encounter with Galactus as they travel through space by tracking through the Silver Surfer’s energy signature as they learn what Galactus wants. During this time, Johnny’s encounters with the Silver Surfer has him trying to get to know her where he would decipher recordings Richards made as he would learn about her ties to Galactus. Even as time is running out for Earth with the Fantastic Four facing backlash over what they are not willing to do upon facing Galactus in the film’s third act.
Matt Shakman’s direction plays into a visual style that is based on its comic and the design work of one of the comic’s creators in Jack Kirby. Shot on location at the Pinewood Studios at Buckinghamshire, England along with some exterior shots set in England and the United Nations building shot at the Palace of Congresses in Oviedo, Spain. Shakman creates a film that does play as a retro-futuristic world set in the 1960s during the space race as the Fantastic Four are already celebrated with Grimm often visiting Brooklyn to get food from local Kosher groceries. There is also a bit of hand drawn animation that highlights the Fantastic Four as an animated TV series created by a team of animators in the style of the 1960s. Shakman’s direction would include a lot of wide and medium shots as it plays into this idea of New York City but also outer space during a key scene where the group confront Galactus in his home base. There are also close-ups and intimate moments in how the group interact with one another as well as Johnny’s own encounter with the Silver Surfer as he admits to be attracted to her while also wondering why she is linked with Galactus.
Shakman does play at the stakes of what the Fantastic Four must deal with as they get a look at what Galactus does with Richards trying to find a solution. Yet, there is the other problem as it relates to the arrival of the new addition to the family as this child is the one thing that can stop Galactus from devouring Earth. It is a sacrifice that Storm refuses to take as the team try to figure out what to do despite the public turning on them after learning from Richards in what Galactus wants. The third act is not just about an experiment that Richards has been working on early in the film but also in luring Galactus out of his throne and spaceship. There is a lot that happens as well as this sense of urgency while there is also some humor throughout the film. Still, the climax is happening where these four superheroes face off against this giant cosmic figure as well as making big moves to save their planet. Overall, Shakman crafts a gripping and compelling film about a family of four superheroes trying to protect their planet from a gigantic cosmic figure who wants to eat the planet.
Cinematographer Jess Hall does brilliant work with the film’s colorful cinematography from the exteriors of New York City as well as the nighttime scenes at the Baxter Building interior and exteriors of the city including some gorgeous interior shots for the scenes in the spaceship during the film’s second act. Editor Nona Khodai and Tim Roche do excellent work with the editing in allowing shots to linger for a bit in some of the tracking shots as well as utilizing fast-cuts for some of the action scenes while making sure the audiences understands what is going on. Production designer Kasra Farahani, along with set decorator Jille Azis and supervising art director Nick Gottschalk, does incredible work with the look of the film from the interior/exterior design of the Baxter Building as well as the look of New York City including Times Square as it has this retro-futuristic look that is just astonishing to watch as it is a highlight of the film. Costume designer Alexandra Byrne does fantastic work with the design of the costumes that the Fantastic Four wear in their adventures as well as the casual clothing they wear that plays to the look of the early 1960s.
Hair/makeup designer Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou does terrific work with the look of the hairstyles of the characters as it plays into the look of the 1960s. Special effects supervisor Alistair Williams, along with visual effects supervisor Robert Allman and Scott Stokdyk, does amazing work with the visual effects including the usage of puppetry for the robot H.E.R.B.I.E. as well as the motion-capture design of the Silver Surfer and the Thing as it is a highlight of the film. Sound editors Josh Gold and Matthew Wood do superb work with the sound as it plays into the sound effects in some of the gadgets as well as how crowd sounds from outside a building and other sparse sound effects.
The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is phenomenal for its exhilarating music score that features sweeping orchestral flourishes and themes that play into the drama, suspense, and action with lush string arrangements and bombastic brass and percussive arrangements as it is one of Giacchino’s finest scores. Music supervisor Justine von Winterfeldt creates a fun soundtrack that features a lot of music from the 1960s including Juan Garcia Esquivel, Brenton Woods, George Bruns, Chet Baker, the Bad Seeds, Paul Martin, and Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers as well as an original song from Andrea Datzman played in the film’s final credits.
The casting by Sarah Halley Finn is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Mark Gatiss as the TV show host Ted Gilbert, Natasha Lyonne as Grimm’s love interest in the schoolteacher Rachel Rozman, Sarah Niles as Susan’s friend Lynne Nichols who runs a foundation created by the Fantastic Four, Matthew Wood as the voice of H.E.R.B.I.E., Ada Scott as one of the babies playing Richards and Storm’s newborn son Franklin, and from the 1994 unreleased film version produced by Roger Corman. Alex Hyde-White and Rebecca Staab as two news reporters while Jay Underwood and Michael Bailey Smith as two power plant workers who salute Johnny after he saves them. Paul Walter Hauser is superb as Harvey Eller/Mole Man as a former villain who runs an underground civilization as he becomes a key figure in its third act where he is asked to play a role in saving humanity. Julia Garner is fantastic as the Silver Surfer as a woman with a body covered in silver who rides a surfboard who serves as a herald for Galactus while hiding secrets of her own that allows Garner to flesh out the woman who would become the Silver Surfer through her encounters with Johnny Storm.
Ralph Ineson is excellent as Galactus as this gigantic cosmic figure who has an insatiable hunger that will not stop where Ineson provides calmness to his voice that is chilling while he can be reasoned with but at a price where Ineson does make Galactus an antagonist that is compelling to watch. Finally, there’s Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn in spectacular performances as the Fantastic Four. Moss-Bachrach’s performance as Ben Grimm/the Thing is a delight as this rock-like figure who has accepted what he has become while is also this big brother figure to everyone as he is also full of life and joy as well as remaining humble in his visits to Brooklyn and its Jewish community. Quinn’s performance as Johnny Storm/the Human Torch is fun as this young man who is a heartthrob to women but is also a lot smarter than people give him credit for where he would decipher the Silver Surfer’s language as he is attracted to her but also puts in a lot of time to find out who she really is adding a lot of depth to a character that is often presented as immature and arrogant.
Pascal’s performance as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic with the power to stretch his body to great lengths adds humor to a man that is extremely intelligent but is socially awkward as he tries to do what he can to protect his unborn child while struggling to find answers to save his planet and child where Pascal adds layers to the character. Kirby’s performance as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman is the heart of the film as a woman that can bring everyone together while is also dealing with a child coming into her life where Kirby has a gravitas to a woman that is so hellbent on protecting her child. Whether it is through her force fields and ability to be invisible or through just talking to the people as it is a performance for the ages as Kirby creates one of best portrayals of a superheroine captured on film.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a sensational film by Matt Shakman that features great performances from Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the titular heroes. Along with its supporting cast, gorgeous visuals, outstanding art direction, dazzling visual effects, a heartfelt story on family, and Michael Giacchino’s enthralling music score. It is a film that exceeds its namesake in many ways while also being a superhero film full of adventure, humor, and heart. In the end, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a phenomenal film by Matt Shakman.
“O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” That last line from the American national anthem should be a line that mean hope for everyone living in America but that no longer exists as that line is nothing but a dream. We are less than a year away from our 250th birthday here in America and it is now likely that no one will even make it to that day thanks to our human septic tank of a dictator who has created a bill that has fucked everyone in favor of the rich. Not millionaires but billionaires and beyond who will gladly do whatever they can to keep their riches while us peasants continue to starve and do what we can one day at a time. All of this and other stunts involving tax dollars and censorship as Stephen Colbert’s talk show is to end next year as CBS and its parent company Paramount has bowed down to him in their upcoming merger with Skydance. All of this to shield from what is really going on in relation to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein as everyone knows he and Epstein love to rape underage girls.
This has not been a good month here at home as the recent laws that Human Septic Tank and his MAGA minions have also created a law in which thousands of undocumented people from Honduras and Nicaragua are to be deported within months. Among them are relatives of my mother as one of my aunts who had been living in Minnesota for more than a decade is being forced to leave as she had been at my mother’s house for a few days as I am surprised that she has not been given a residency. It is shit like this that has made me very angry over what is happening right now though I am glad that my mother is now a U.S. citizen though we are now unsure what will happen. There is too much uncertainty about what is happening as our dictator wants to deport those who defy him as there is too many. What a fucking sham this has all become as I am working on a list on Letterboxd that I hope to complete by July 4, 2026, in a list of films that is all about the American Nightmare. There is no such thing as the American Dream as I am trying to find 250 films that dispels the myth of the American Dream. So far, I have 31 films on the list.
For those that have followed this blog for years know that I am a fan of pro wrestling as the big news this month and for the rest of the year is the passing of Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan. Honestly, my feeling about his passing is complicated due to the legacy he left behind. If it were not for him, I would not be watching, nor will I ever talk about pro wrestling as I used to have a Hulk Hogan lunchbox as a kid. Yet, he was not the person that got me into pro wrestling. That is Bret “the Hitman” Hart along with many others that would follow. There is no question about Hogan’s place in history in terms of what he has done for pro wrestling and in popular culture. Unfortunately, he has also done a lot of horrible things both as a wrestler and as a person that has made his recent passing hard to digest. From ratting out Jesse Ventura to Meekmahan before WrestleMania II, trying to sabotage the Undertaker’s career by faking a neck injury at Survivor Series 1991, backstage politicking, and his refusal to put anyone over in both his time in WWE and WCW has been a blemish on his legacy. Yet, that is nothing compared to the jailhouse recordings in his conversation with his son Nick after the car accident that left Nick’s friend John Graziano paralyzed and brain damaged as well as the racist remarks he said on a sex tape with Bubba the Love Sponge’s wife.
The fact that he never formally apologized for the things he said while also having no interest in taking Mark Henry’s offer to visit Black colleges shows someone who never really made the effort to redeem himself. He continues to play this persona in political events supporting our dictator as well as say some racist things about Kamala Harris last year. There are also the constant lies he told over the years, claiming he wrestled 400 days a year, auditioning to play bass for Metallica in 1986, and all those other things added to the stench of his tarnished legacy. The last image of him at a WWE event was the first episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix where he was booed out of the building is a damning moment that showed how far he had fallen. Even as he tried to sell his Real American Beer to the public along with other things, it is clear people got tired of the bullshit he is selling. In the end, he went out with a whimper, and I am not sad about it. I am just disappointed that he never became the hero that everyone wanted him to be only to be an example of never meeting their heroes in public.
In the month of July 2025, I saw a total of 19 films in 13 first-timers and 6 re-watches with two of the first-timers being films directed or co-directed by women as part of the 52 films by women pledge. One of the highlights of the month is my Blind Spot film for the month in The Public Enemy. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for July 2025:
9. In the Beginning Was the End: The Complete Truth About De-Evolution
10. Pierre and Sonny Jim
Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I Am Watching
At Land
One of two short films by Maya Deren that I found on YouTube that features original music by Feona Lee Jones is this avant-garde short film about a woman who has been washed ashore as she finds herself on an island where she encounters strange things around her. Even as there is a shot of two women playing chess as it is a short with no plot and nothing makes sense but that is the point of it. It is all about the visuals as it proves how ahead of her time Deren is as a filmmaker with Jones’ score adding dramatic tension as it is something film buffs need to see.
In the Mood for Love Day One
With the 25th anniversary release of Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love happening with some screenings to include a 9-minute short featuring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Maggie Cheung that was shot in 2001. There is also a 1-minute and 33-second clip that is used as NFT that can be seen here. Honestly, I am not a fan of NFTs as I think they are a waste of time although this clip is fascinating to watch though it is really an outtake from the film.
In the Beginning Was the End: The Truth About De-Evolution
The band Devo is about to go on tour with the B-52s as they have been restoring some of their older music videos as well as this short film they released in 1976 with Chuck Statler. The short film features performances of two songs the band would do that would appear in their 1978 debut album as the short said a lot about the idea of de-evolution in relation to what was happening in the 1970s. Yet, it feels relevant to what is happening right now which proves that Devo were ahead of their time.
A Study of Choreography for Camera
The second short by Maya Deren that I watched is a two-minute and 13-second experimental short featuring Talley Beatty dancing as it plays into how dancing could be captured in film. Especially in the diligence of how dancing could be presented step-by-step as it is something anyone interested in dance and film should see.
Pierre and Sonny Jim
A 3-minute short from David Lynch in collaboration with Eli Roth is another of his experimental short films that he did in the early 2000s. This involved inflatable hand-balloons just argue over some dumb shit though the dialogue is unintelligible. Maybe they were arguing about what happened in Mulholland Dr.
Sing
A film that I have on DVD that I watched with my nephew on Netflix proved to be a fun surprise though I think Mateo’s reaction towards the film was a bit mixed. It is a heartwarming animated musical about a koala trying to keep a theater going as he bought it out of love for it as he holds a contest that he hopes would bring prestige back to the theater. The ensemble cast is great with Matthew McConaughey, Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, John C. Reilly, Nick Kroll, Tori Kelly, and Seth MacFarlane as they all bring it. I could’ve done without some of the songs that are played as I am so tired of hearing bad covers of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah as that has been done to death. Still, I thought it was a charming and fun film.
World of Glory
This short film by Roy Andersson that I saw on MUBI before is to leave the service is the first thing of his that I have seen and it will not be the last. This short revolves around the ordinary life of a man in a simple static shot as he is someone that is unremarkable. Yet, it is presented in the most absurd manner as there are a lot of quirky things that are happening including the first shot involving naked people being put into a moving truck with all these suits watching as this man narrates to the camera in what he does. Yet, he starts to unravel how uninteresting his life is as this is a great short to watch.
Stellar
The first of 2 short films by Stan Brakhage I saw on YouTube as this is another discovery that I hope to go into more. Notably as Brakhage is this avant-garde visual artist that does not use music or sound to highlight his work as he and collaborator Sam Bush would create collages based on Brakhage’s own imagination. Notably as this short is his idea of what he sees in outer space as it is a kaleidoscopic short that is truly out of this world.
Black Ice
The second short by Brakhage that I saw on YouTube is based on Brakhage’s own thoughts of what he saw after he slipped on ice and nearly damaged his eye. What he would imagine with Bush’s help is colorful images of what he saw through ice as it is just astonishing in its imagery.
Beth’s Farm
From Yorgos Lanthimos is a music video for composer Jerskin Fendrix who composed the score music for Lanthimos’ 2023 film Poor Things. The video is pure Lanthimos in terms of its visuals as it also stars Emma Stone as a mysterious woman who appears to help Fendrix whose animals in his farm have disappeared. It is an odd short but the sight of Fendrix and Stone dancing around a bonfire feels very wholesome as it is music video fans of the trio should see.
Top 6 Re-Watches
1. Queen Live at Live Aid
2. Hawaiian Vacation
3. Megamind
4. Madagascar
5. Cousin Ben Troop Screening
6. Towards a Dream in the USA
Well, that is all for July 2025. Next month, I hope to watch The Fantastic Four: The First Steps as it will mark my return to the MCU while I might watch The Naked Gun as it just looks hilarious. My Blind Spot for next month is likely to be Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Other than that, I have pre-written stuff that I want to catch up on while I have already done a bit of work on the Auteurs piece on Robert Eggers while I re-watch a couple of films by James Gunn in anticipation of my upcoming Auteurs piece on him.
Before I bid adieu, this month did see the passing of someone far more revered in Ozzy Osbourne who passed away on July 21, 2025, just seventeen days after he gave his farewell performance at the Back to the Beginning benefit show that would also feature a final performance with his band Black Sabbath. Osbourne’s legacy in what he has done for heavy metal music and popular culture is set in stone while the fact that he chose to have his final concert in his hometown of Birmingham in front 45,000 showed that he man never strayed from his roots. The fact that he got a great sendoff with a funeral procession that saw an entire city pay their respects to him shows a man that is beloved beyond description. Whether it is with his work with Black Sabbath, his illustrious solo career, and his work on reality TV with his family. Osbourne has always been a figure that always brought joy in the darkest of times while singing songs that played into the world of darkness but always with a glimmer of hope. Thank you, Ozzy. We will miss you.
Also who passed away this month and will be missed include Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Adriana Asti, original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Mario Day, Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs, Tom Leher, film editor Don Zimmerman, British actor Tony Peers, George Kooymans of Golden Earring, actor Tom Troupe, songwriter Alan Bergman, Connie Francis, Eileen Fulton, Dave Cousins of the Strawbs, David Kaff from Spinal Tap, Rene Kirby, music composer Mark Snow, Julian McMahon, and Michael Madsen. We will miss you all. Oh, and Jimmy Swaggart died as well but in all honesty. Fuck him and fuck you too Cunt Hogan. This is thevoid99 signing off…
